Patch and Simba: Disney School Police
by OneCreativeIdiot
Summary: A robbery at the school threatens to cancel the end of the year pizza party. A Dalmatian puppy and a lion cub step up and join the hunt for the unknown thieves. Will the robbers be caught? Or will there be no pizza party?
1. The Assignment

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, I'm giving the characters (those who don't have them) surnames. Why? Because this is Fanfiction! Can you deal with that? Good. Enjoy the story.

DISCLAIMER: All characters under the "Disney" name are property of Walt Disney Animation Studios; the name "Disneyland" is property of the Walt Disney Company.

If the temperature wasn't so high as eighty degrees Fahrenheit, it would've been a pleasant day in Disneyland. Characters all over were suffering from the unbearable heat. How it was so hot was a mystery, for it was mid-April, a time when the weather was supposed to be enjoyable. But there were some times when it was blazing hot in the months of Spring, which would make everyone excited for summer. Even if a lot of characters knew this fact, they would still complain about the heat.

The weather forecast on the day in particular stated that Disneyland would experience temperatures between sixty-seven and seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit. Information like that wasn't exactly reassuring for the characters since they had to put up with it. Some of the public swimming pools across Disneyland were open and ready for crowds of characters to flock over for a refreshing swim while most were still waiting for early June to come around. There would have been at least a dozen or more characters at the public pools if everyone wasn't busy at work or school.

In Animahiem, the capital of Disneyland, it was approximately seventy-two degrees Fahrenheit outside with a wind speed of only five miles per hour. Everyone thought that if the wind was at twenty-five miles per hour, the weather would be more tolerable. Because there was almost no wind to cool anyone off, characters remained inside with the air conditioning systems on full blast, not caring at all how much their electric bills would be.

At the nearby elementary school, the students were hard at work on whatever assignment their teachers gave them. It wasn't as if every young character was happy doing school-related work, no mater how easy or difficult it was, but they were willing to do anything as long as they were in a place with air both cold and refreshing.

Two young boys, a Dalmatian puppy named Patch and a lion cub named Simba, were busy in History class with a map activity. The assignment was nothing special; it was simply marking certain areas of a blank copy of the map of Disneyland and then coloring it. Even though they thought it was something similar to a kindergarten activity, they found it to be fun and, in fact, a little bit interesting since it brought them back to their memorable Christmas adventure.

At the moment the two boys were done with the map, their teacher, a middle-aged man who was plump and known by all of the kids as "Mr. Quirky" for some unknown reason, passed by and saw their assignment fully completed. "Great job, boys," he said. "This is by first the coolest map of Disneyland I've seen this month!"

They still weren't sure why everyone called their History teacher "Mr. Quirky", but they thought it had something to do with him always talking and acting- only when it was appropriate -like a youngster in modern time. They only guessed that because he used the word "cool" to describe their map. Anyone could use the word "cool" and others would accept it, but when someone like "Mr. Quirky" would use it, it sounded very strange indeed.

As the teacher walked back to his desk with the completely map, the loudspeaker screeched to life. An announcement was about to be made.

A kind feminine voice said, "Patch Spotly and Simba Roarren, please report to the Main Office. Patch Spotly and Simba Roarren, to the Main Office. Thank you."

Patch and Simba instantly froze in position with their eyes wide and their mouths open in a silent gasp. They were scared- they were obviously being called down to the principal's office! Neither of them knew why the principal would want to see them- they did nothing wrong! Despite of what trouble they would be in for, the two boys left the classroom and headed for the Main Office.

When they arrived, the secretary told them, "Take a seat over there, please. The principal is busy at the moment, but she'll come out when she's ready for you."

Patch and Simba walked over to the row of chairs the secretary pointed to and sat down next to each other.

"What kind of trouble could we possibly be in?" Patch inquired Simba quietly.

"I don't know," Simba replied in a hushed tone. "We didn't do anything wrong."

"Perhaps there's something we didn't do that was never mentioned to us," Patch suggested. "Do you remember anything that was assigned to us? Like important forms or something like that?"

Simba shook his head. "No clue," he said.

Patch and Simba glanced around the Main Office from the chairs they were sitting in. Everything was normal and peaceful. The only noise being made was the secretary working at her computer and taking phone calls when they were being made. If there was any trouble, everyone was doing a good job at hiding their anger and displeasure at whatever went wrong.

Simba looked outside the window that gave a good view of the humid world outside. As he did so, a police cruiser slowed to a stop in front of the school. The lion cub gasped as quietly as he could. "Uh oh!"

"What's the matter?" Patch asked.

"I just saw a police car pull up," Simba said fearfully.

"Oh dear," Patch gulped. "Whatever's going on, it must be serious!"

Patch and Simba took a deep breath and sat up straight. They didn't want to look afraid of what trouble loomed ahead of them. When they heard the sounds of footsteps approaching the front doors of the building, Patch whispered to Simba: "Keep calm. If we play our cards right, we'll be out of here in no time."

"Okay," Simba responded.

From the secretary's desk, there came a sudden buzzing noise. The secretary grabbed a phone from one corner of her desk and pushed an unseeable button. "Hello, can I help you?" she asked.

There was a few seconds of silence before the secretary said, "Oh, yes. Mrs. Cow was wondering when you would arrive."

Fear returned and stung Patch and Simba furiously like a swarm of bees in a frenzy. Though the way the secretary had said what she just said in a calm voice, it was still enough to arouse concern over the issue unknown to the boys.

The secretary hung up the phone and pressed a different button on the other side of her desk. Patch and Simba nearly jumped when a loud click went off from outside the Main Office. One of the front doors had been unlocked and the police officers entered the building.

The door to the Main Office swung open and in stepped the two officers- one was a female rabbit while the other was a male fox wearing sunglasses. Patch and Simba took another deep breath and hid their fear. The secretary looked up at the officers and said, "Officers Hopps and Wilde, it's great to see you here."

The fox removed his sunglasses and replied, "Well, even though this is small business, my partner and I decided it was right to come here."

The rabbit looked up at the fox with a sly grin. "Am I always your partner?" she asked. "You certainly have kept your con artist ways, haven't you?"

"Well, not all of them," said the fox.

"Anyway, we're glad that you've come on such short notice," said the secretary. "Mrs. Cow is busy at the moment, but she should be done in a moment."

The officers nodded and the secretary went back to her work.

"Remember, Nick, this is a school so don't show off to anyone," the rabbit told the fox.

"Carrots, relax," Nick replied. "I'm an officer of the law and I know where I stand. Don't worry about a thing."

The rabbit still kept a sly grin on her face. She knew that no matter what, Nick Wilde would always find a way to fabricate lies. That originated from his past of growing up poor and eventually swindling characters for money on the streets. That all changed when he met Carrots, known by everyone in Animahiem as Judy Hopps. After they both became friends, Judy introduced Nick to the police force and he was instantly brought into training. It was tough but Nick pulled through, and he was a police officer in no time- he might tend to slack off when no one was looking, but, nonetheless, he was proud member of the Animahiem Police Department.

Judy and Nick turned their heads in the same direction and saw Patch and Simba sitting in their chairs quietly. They both sensed that they were afraid of their presence, so they decided to lighten things up in conversation.

"Hi, boys," Judy said aloud.

Patch and Simba snapped their heads to face Judy and Nick; they were visibly scared even though they tried to look normal. Both pup and cub raised a paw and blurted out the word "Hi."

It was now clear that the two boys were totally afraid of the two police officers. Judy and Nick knew exactly why they were at school. It wasn't to make an arrest or conduct any type of investigation; it was something more- shall we say -out of the ordinary.

"You boys seem kind of tense," said Nick.

"Who? Us?" Patch and Simba replied in unison. "No way!"

"Then why are both acting like you've seen a ghost" Judy inquired with a smile and raised eyebrow.

"Well," Patch began, obviously ready to stutter his words and lie; "it's not a ghost, you see. It was...um...a...a movie. YES! It was a movie we saw! It was called 'The Immoral Forest'. You've heard of it? It's a really scary movie. We were sure if there were any unknown spirits or creatures following us in the shadows; right, Simba?"

Simba, who was smiling nervously, said, "Yes. It was hard to sleep at night."

Judy and Nick glanced at each other and then back to Patch and Simba. They knew they were lying- it was clear as the pathetic smiles on their faces. "There's no such movie as 'The Immoral Forest'," Nick told the boys. "Carrots and I knew that you both are scared of us being here. No one told you why you're here, right?"

Patch and Simba frowned. "It's because of last week's food fight, isn't it?" they asked.

Judy was about to reply when Simba said, "If you want us to be honest, no need to ask. Patch and I were sitting at the table near the doors, far away from the battle area."

"Yeah," said Patch. "With Walt as our witness, we cannot shed guilt without remembering our actions in the war if we were involved. But were we? No. It's surprising that someone would actually start a food fight because they were serving-"

"Boys, don't worry about that," Judy explained. "A few teachers caught the kids who started the fight when they stood on one of the tables and shouted 'Victory is ours!'. Everyone knows it wasn't you because you were underneath your table."

Patch and Simba's eyes dropped to the floor in embarrassment. "Oh, yeah," they said.

"So, why are we even here?" Simba inquired as he and Patch looked back up.

"Oh, excellent; you're all here!" said a voice from out of nowhere.

The characters (except the secretary) turned to see Clarabelle Cow, the school principal, standing by the open corridor. "I've been wondering when you would show up so we can discuss the situation at hand. Come into my office, if you please."

Patch and Simba got out of their chairs and followed Mrs. Cow into the corridor with Judy and Nick behind them.

Mrs. Cow brought everyone into her office. Patch and Simba sat in the chairs in front of the principal's desk. Judy and Nick stood alongside the pup and cub. This caused the boys to believe they were in trouble. They didn't know what they did wrong, but they were soon to find out.

Mrs. Cow sat down in the swivel chair that accompanied her desk. "Now, boys," she said to Patch and Simba; "I don't want either of you to be nervous while you're here. You're not in any kind of trouble, but there is a problem in this school that's troubling me."

"What's that?" Patch inquired.

"You might've not seen anything wrong in some portions of the school," Mrs. Cow continued; "however, it's noticeable among the other staff members."

"Well, of course Patch and I haven't seen anything wrong," said Simba. "We don't even know what you're talking about." He turned to Nick who was beside him. "Unless you know what she's talking about."

"Your principal's referring to a recent robbery in the school," Nick explained.

"Repetitive robbery is the better term," said Judy.

"Well, go on, please," Patch told Mrs. Cow. "We'd like to know what's going on."

Mrs. Cow straighten herself in her chair and began to explain the school's current situation.

"Last month, the cafeteria staff have noticed that the snack food they've prepared for our fellow students have disappeared. There was an immediate inventory count, and it was discovered that about a dozen cookies and eight different bags of chips stolen from the kitchen and buffet area. It was also noted that the door to the kitchen had been unlocked."

"Why didn't you check the security cameras?" Simba inquired.

"That is mandatory procedure in any investigation," Judy told him. "However, the suspect broke into the school's security room and switched all of the surveillance cameras off."

"That's a smart move," Patch commented.

Everyone looked at him rather strangely. "Seriously, it is," said Patch. "A lot of crooks don't think like that. They'll just throw a sock over their heads and barge right in."

"He's right, that's all they do," said Simba, agreeing with his canine friend.

"I haven't brought you boys in my office to debate about the crime," Mrs. Cow told Simba and Patch. "The reason I have brought you here is to give you a special task, if you choose to accept it."

"And what would that be?" Patch asked with slight interest.

"Because we believe that this may be a student of this school," Mrs. Cow began; "we might have a chance of finding the theft and bringing our snack shortage to an end. But we can't do it without your help."

"How will we help?" Patch and Simba asked both simultaneously and eagerly.

With an exhilarating smile on her face, Mrs. Cow told the boys, "I'm offering you both the opportunity of becoming our school's first hall monitors and assistant night watch security guards."

Patch and Simba's eyes lit up. Could this be true? They were both given the chance to become both hall monitors and security guards? This was beyond awesome!

"We're going to be hall monitors?!" Simba asked.

Mrs. Cow nodded.

"And we're going to be security guards?!" Patch asked.

"You'll be working alongside us," Nick replied.

Simba suddenly became a bit concerned over the offer the principal was giving him and Patch."Will our parents be okay with this?" he asked aloud.

"No need to worry, Simba," said Mrs. Cow. "All you need to do- if you and Patch want to join the hunt for our snack robbers -is have your parents sign some forms about the mission at hand."

Mrs. Cow took two thin packets of paper and handed it to the boys. Patch and Simba carefully analyzed the forms. "I hope our parents will agree to this," Patch said nervously.

"I hope so, too," said Mrs. Cow. "Because if they refuse, I'm afraid we will have to resort to drastic measures."

"Like what?" Patch and Simba inquired.

"Well," Mrs. Cow sighed; "the only option we have is to (sadly) cancel the end of the school year pizza party."

Patch and Simba stared at Mrs. Cow with wide eyes and dropped jaws. Thinking about their parents refusing to allow them to take part in the search for the cafeteria thieves was already a problem. Thinking about losing the end of the year pizza party was something far worse.

"But that's not fair!" Patch and Simba protested.

"I'm sorry, boys," Mrs. Cow told them. "But at the moment, that's the only choice we have, unless you both are granted permission to join us in our time of need."

"I'm sure your parents will agree to this," Judy said to the boys. "Besides, we all still remember your heroism last Christmas."

Patch and Simba sighed. "We're always reminded about that stupid Christmas adventure!"

"Come on, it wasn't that stupid," said Nick. "After all, everyone was so happy that you brought back the House of Mouse's Christmas Tree Topper. How could you think of it so negatively?"

"We don't know," Simba responded; "but never-mind that. We'll talk to our parents after school."

"Yeah, they should know about this before we do something stupid," Patch added.

"Good," said Mrs. Cow, handing the pup and cub the forms. "Come back tomorrow with the forms signed by your parents. We've already sent your required uniforms to your homes, so you should be getting them before next Monday."

"Okay," Patch and Simba replied.

"Alright then," said Mrs. Cow. "You both can go back to class now."

Patch and Simba headed for the door with the forms they received.

"Bye, guys," said Judy.

"See you on the first night," said Nick.

"Okay," Patch and Simba replied before walking out of the office.

The boys hurried back to History class. They had to put the forms into their Home folders before the period was over. Recess was next and the last thing they needed was to forget to put the forms in a safe and memorable place before they became lost in excitement.

"Pray to Walt that they'll agree to this," Patch told his friend.

"Oh, I'm praying all right," Simba replied. "The fate of the end of the year pizza party is in our paws!"


	2. Council with the Parents

The rest of the school day went on as it usually did. Recess, lunch, and the other classes went by and soon it was 3 o'clock. All of the young characters were on their way home. While most of them were taking the school bus, a small fraction of the children were driven home by their parents or guardians. That wasn't a major problem for any of them; nobody minded it at all. While it was nice to be in the air conditioning of a parent's car, a lot of the young characters liked to ride the bus with their friends, chatting and catching up on what went on after school.

Patch and Simba didn't take the bus or were driven home by their parents. With the distance between school and their respective homes short but a bit long, they were able to walk the way there. The pup and cub enjoyed traveling home on their paws as long as it wasn't through anything like heavy rain or snow. Sometimes they would be accompanied by a group of Patch's brothers and sisters. Neither of them disliked it when they would tag along, it was nice to have a little company with them so the journey wouldn't be too boring.

As they strolled down the sidewalk, Patch and Simba couldn't help but share their exhilaration. They hoped that their parents would allow them to take part in the search for the thieves who were stealing the cafeteria snacks. Even if it was probably the most ridiculous crime in all of Disneyland, it did provoke great interest in the boys. They've both seen at least one episode of any crime drama on TV and they though it would be a fascinating experience if they participated in a police investigation.

"I'm praying to Walt that our parents will let us help the police," said Patch. "It'll be a dream come true!"

Simba grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked. "Don't you want to become an artist?"

"That would be just as cool as being a police officer," Patch replied. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Well, I do like writing and singing my own songs," said Simba; "but I have to agree with you, Patch. Working for the police would be a really sweet deal."

"Keep your hopes high, Simba," Patch told his buddy. "We must be smart and talk about this to our parents in a way they'll agree with."

"Right," Simba replied. "Quite a coincidence that we're give a once in a lifetime offer on the same day my parents have a barbecue, am I right?"

Patch nodded his head and hummed, "Mm hm."

The pup and cub were looking forward to that night's barbecue. Simba's parents, Mufasa and Sarabi, had invited a few of their friends to come over for a little, pre-summer get-together. Those who were invited include Patch's parents, Pongo and Perdita, Sarafina Furrly, a lioness who was both Sarabi's best friend from high school and the mother of Simba's good friend Nala, and Timon Diggs and Pumbaa Smellen, a meerkat and warthog duo known for their comedy skits at the House of Mouse, the top nightspot in Animahiem.

Patch was really excited. His parents had allowed him to go to the barbecue with them, as well as three other lucky siblings: Lucky, Penny, and Rolly. How they were allowed to attend the barbecue was beyond his knowledge, but it was no surprise why he got to go. Apart from being great friends, Patch and Simba were renowned by everyone in the city for their colorful personalities and dedication to those who find themselves in need of assistance- both facts about the duo were made apparent by their unbelievable adventure that occurred the previous Christmas.

Patch and Simba went to their respective homes and got themselves ready for the night's outdoor occasion.

A little before 4:30, Pongo, Perdita, and four of their pups arrived early to the barbecue. By that time, Mufasa and Sarabi were making last-minute preparations before the party would begin. Simba had brought out a large ball and he and the pups played little games before the grill would be lit and the cooking to begin.

Not long after the Dalmatians arrived, Timon and Pumbaa showed up. They were their usual jovial ways. Mufasa and Pongo had recently saw them perform at the House of Mouse the previous week. After the show, Mufasa invited them to the barbecue, which they gladly accepted. Upon their arrival, the meerkat and warthog revealed that they had prepared cookies for the occasion. Timon held a plate of chocolate chip cookies while Pumbaa balanced a plate of peanut butter cookies with chocolate kisses on top of his head.

Sarafina arrived shortly before the barbecue was about to begin. To Simba's surprise and delight, she had brought Nala along with her. He wasn't sure why but, whenever Nala was around or involved in something he was a part of, she seemed to bring along a magical charm that always enchanted him and no one else. Once he brought this up to Patch who told him that he was in love with her. Even when he dismissed his friend's opinion, Simba did admit to himself that he often felt strongly attracted to Nala.

When 5 o'clock rolled around, Mufasa started up the grill and the excitement grew. It was sensed the most by the kids. They couldn't wait to eat the summer food that was soon to be cooked. As Simba had told his friends, they would be chowing down on the summer classics: burgers and hot dogs.

"Oh boy, I can't wait!" Rolly chirped.

"You always get excited when food's being prepared," said Lucky.

"I know," Rolly replied; "but this is different. This is a sign that summer is coming!"

"I thought the extreme heat was the sign that summer's coming," said Penny.

"That too," Rolly replied.

Simba chimed in. "Before I forget, I want everyone to know that we'll be having hot dogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, turkey burgers, and veggie burgers."

"I can understand turkey burgers, but veggie burgers?" Patch inquired. "That's quite odd for a barbecue, isn't it?"

"It is," Simba replied; "but mom and dad are trying something new, and hopefully some of us will like it."

"Don't expect everyone to be eating meat all the time, Patch," Nala told Patch. "There are a lot of other things we can eat and still function."

"Yeah, but I still think it's odd that there are veggie burgers on the menu," said Patch.

"Oh, don't let your mind roam freely at times like these," said Simba. "Just get ready to dig in to the tasty food that ties together the classic BBQ."

Patch smiled and then asked, "Do you think your parents will grill up some seafood?"

Simba looked at his Dalmatian friend completely confused. "Why?"

In an Australian accent, Patch replied, "Perhaps we can have a little shrimp on the barby."

Everyone had a good laugh over Patch's joke, even if it was one some people wouldn't consider funny if they had heard such a joke thousands of times.

After all the food was cooked on the grill, everyone sat down and enjoyed their burgers and hot dogs. They also ate some of the other food that was sitting on a table near the grill. There was a big bowl of potato salad, a baking dish of macaroni and cheese, and the two plates of cookies Timon and Pumbaa brought. Sitting on the ground close to the table was a large cooler full of ice and drinks, mostly juice and soda. Mufasa and Sarabi also had a cake in the refrigerator when it was time for dessert, so it wouldn't only be the cookies everyone would be eating after dinner.

Eventually, once everyone had their fill of burgers and hot dogs, it was time for dessert. Sarabi went into the house to fetch the cake. Timon and Pumbaa brought the plates of cookies to the table and tore off the clear wrapping they put on so the bugs wouldn't spoil the treats.

As everyone ate a slice of cake and a few cookies, Patch and Simba began to daydream about being what they called the "School Police". They imagined themselves strolling down the school corridors side by side, wearing a pair of sunglasses while on patrol; their main priority was the all-too familiar task of keeping a sharp eye out for any student wandering around the school as they tried to have fun and avoid schoolwork. If they caught anyone sneaking outside of their current classes, they would escort the delinquent back to their classroom and have their name and offense reported to the principal.

While it sounded like the boys would have a lot of fun being what everyone else would refer to as "tattle tales", Patch and Simba knew that there be a lot more fun than simply calling out every unruly kid in the school. Along with the freedom of missing a few classes to be on patrol, the duo would be given special privileges that the rest of the students would consider "rare", such as being allowed to enter rooms considered off-limits to everyone who wasn't a staff member. Neither of them knew for sure if that would be a privilege or if they were going to get any special privileges, but one thing was for sure: they were going to help the police in capturing the cafeteria thieves and make sure that there would be a pizza party on the last day of school.

Patch and Simba continued eating their treats but it was easy to tell that they were daydreaming just by looking at their faces. Nala noticed their facial expressions and asked, "Are you two alright?"

This snapped Patch and Simba right back into reality. They glanced at Nala and Simba replied, "Yeah, we're fine, Nala. Patch and I were just thinking."

"About?" Nala inquired.

Simba didn't know how to respond but Patch did it for him. "About what we're going to do over the summer."

Simba nodded to appear that he was agreeing with Patch.

Nala saw that Simba was pretending to smile normally and knew right away that they were hiding something. She was about to test them when Pumbaa spoke up. "What do both have in mind?" he asked.

"Yeah, what are two gonna do this summer?" Timon asked the boys. "Are you gonna ride throughout Animahiem on skateboards? Are you gonna go head to head in a month-long video game tournament? Are you gonna swim in the best public pool in the city? Tell us, kids! What do you have in mind?"

Patch and Simba glanced at each other nervously before Simba replied with: "Well, we're not so sure what we're gonna do yet."

"Yeah, consider it to be random thinking," Patch added.

"Okay, so you were," said Nala. "But here's something that's been bugging me. You two were called down to the Main Office today. When we were outside, you two were so happy."

Patch and Simba's anxiety increased. They looked at their parents who were both surprised and concerned.

"Yeah, why were both so happy?" Penny inquired.

"Did you get in trouble or something?" Lucky asked.

"No, of course we didn't," Patch responded. "If we were in trouble, Simba and I would've known what we did."

"So, why were you both called down?" Perdita asked.

"Well, mom," Patch began quite nervously; "it goes something like this: there's a problem at the school, so Simba and I have been...um."

Patch searched for the right words to continue; however, Simba nervously blurted out: "We were promoted!"

Everyone looked at Patch and Simba in an odd way.

"Promoted?" Pumbaa inquired. "I didn't know elementary school kids can get promotions."

"Well, that depends on their standards, Pumbaa," said Timon. "If kids are honest and trustworthy, they can get special privileges, like being the hall monitor."

Sarabi asked her son: "You and Patch were asked to be hall monitors?"

"We were," Simba replied. "It's just that...well, there's a slight catch."

"What type of catch?" Mufasa inquired.

"And what's going on at the school that has you two being assigned such a task?" Pongo questioned.

Once again, Patch and Simba took a moment to look at each other and ask themselves how to answer the adult Dalmatian. They wished they had prepared themselves for this conversation, and yet they were so excited to be part of the police hunt that they allowed the thought of the talk by them and their parents to pass by as if it was nothing more than wind. As nervous as they were, the pup and cub decided the best thing to do was to explain the situation and work things out with their parents.

"Patch and I were called to the Principal's Office because the school has been robbed," Simba stated.

At that moment, everyone around Simba and Patch stared at them in shock. None of them were aware that the elementary school was broken into and had several items stolen from it. It was a very big surprise.

"I should probably add that the school was robbed numerous times before we were informed about it," Simba added.

"What's being stolen from school?" Lucky inquired.

"The cafeteria snacks," Patch answered. "Mostly cookies and chips."

"Now that's really odd," said Timon. "I don't know anybody who would break into a school; more importantly, anyone who would steal snack food. In criminal terms, that's pretty soft."

"Well the school's taking it really hard," said Simba. "To make things more shocking, the principal believes that it's a student who's committing the crime."

Everyone's eyes grew wide.

"The thief is believed to be a child?!" Sarafina gasped.

"No one knows for sure who is doing this," Simba told her. "You see, the thief strikes at night and he or she is able to rig the security system and shut all the cameras off. So, as well as being hall monitors, Patch and I are being asked to join the hunt for the robbers."

Mufasa, Sarabi, Pongo, and Perdita glanced at each other. It was clear that they weren't so sure if they were willing to allow their sons to be a part of any police work. Much like everyone else with a bright mind, they wanted any criminal activity to be handled by law enforcement.

Patch and Simba knew what their parents were going to tell them, but Timon and Pumbaa stepped up to try and convince the other adults that it was a good idea.

"Now, I know what you guys are thinking and I don't blame you," Timon began. "However, you should really think about it."

"Yeah, you shouldn't turn this down," Pumbaa added. "This would be an excellent experience for Patch and Simba."

"I'm not sure if those are the right words, but it'll work," said Timon. "Besides, Patch and Simba will survive. After all, who can forget their Christmas adventure last year?"

"No one," everyone responded.

"Exactly!" said Timon. "So, what do you say?"

The adults glanced at one another again. They still weren't so sure about letting their sons be involved in an investigation of any kind.

"Before you tell us what you think," said Simba; "just listen to us for a moment. We won't use our responsibilities to misbehave; Patch and I completely understand that this is a serious situation. We won't be alone at school every night; there will be two police officers who will be with us to keep an eye out for anybody who's not suppose to be there at night. So it's not going to be like our old Christmas adventure at all. Patch and I are going to help the police in finding the thieves and have them arrested so the school won't have to get too concerned about everything."

Simba's reasons were enough to persuade the adults that it was okay to allow them to join the police search. They liked to hear that they would promise to behave, but they were more relieved to know that the boys would have at least someone to look after them if needed.

"And besides they're already sending us our uniforms so we can't let the school down so soon," Patch added. "Not to mention that there's going to be a major change for the rest of the school year. If we don't find the robbers at all, we can kiss the end of the year pizza party goodbye."

Nala, Lucky, Penny, and Rolly gasped loudly. It was already bad to hear that their school was a target for robbers, but now they were horrified to learn that the end of the year pizza party was in jeopardy. Out of every event in the entire school year, the last day of school was supposed to be the most memorable; but how can it be the most memorable without at least one slice of pizza?

"But that's not fair!" Nala cried.

"That's what we said," Simba replied. "But the principal said there's nothing in our power to keep the party on unless we join the search."

Rolly was gasping for air. It looked as if he was about to suffer a major heart attack. Lucky told him: "Take it easy, Rolly. Deep breaths now. Breathe in; breathe out."

While Lucky was busy helping Rolly breathe normally, Mufasa spoke up. "I think we've finally reached a decision," he told Simba and Patch.

Patch and Simba sat up straight, ready to hear what their parents were about to say.

"Considering that you both will be supervised and we can trust you to be responsible," said Pongo; "we're giving you our permission to be a part of the police search."

Patch and Simba nearly jumped up and cheered at the top of their lungs, but they were able to keep their excitement under control and they instead cried out: "THANK YOU, WALT!"

Nala, Penny, and Lucky were also relieved to know that Patch and Simba would make sure the end of the year pizza party would still go on. The news also healed Rolly who was now as joyful as the others.

Even though the chances of the thieves being arrested were quite high, that didn't stop anyone from thinking that perhaps the criminals wouldn't be caught at all. If so, the pizza party would be cancelled, much to the disapproval of the school students. But they couldn't let the thought of a miserable last day of school get the better of them. As long as Patch and Simba did their job just right, nothing could possibly go wrong.


	3. The First Day Begins

Over the weekend, characters throughout Disneyland rushed to their local public pool for a refreshing swim. A lot of them had waited a long time to finally get away from work and school to finally enjoy some time with family and friends while simultaneously cooling off. Many adult characters didn't give a second thought that they would probably be in an area crowded with lots of kids. They desired to keep themselves cool in any way possible.

Patch and Simba weren't among the characters who were at the pool during the weekend. Instead of swimming, they spent their free time engaging in fun activities boys their age would do. On Saturday, they played video games at Simba's house. On Sunday, they played basketball at the city park with their other friends. The pup and cub had tons of fun over the two days without the hassle of school-related work, whether it was virtually or in real life.

While most kids would disagree with them, Patch and Simba were actually looking forward to the next day of school. A statement like that would make other children think that they were "nerds" ready for another science lesson or something. However, the real reason was that, on Saturday, a package was discovered on Patch and Simba's respective doorsteps. Inside were their hall monitor uniforms- a dark blue vest with "HALL MONITOR" labeled on it in bold, white letters, and a matching peaked cap with the initials "HM" in the same font. They were a perfect size for the boys to wear without any difficulty, and Patch and Simba were ecstatic to get started; so much so that they thought Monday would never come.

When Monday did come, Patch and Simba got themselves ready for school. They were still excited for their first day as hall monitors, but, overnight, they were able to keep their exhilaration under complete control. Their parents had discussed with their sons what was going to happen since they were going to be with the police officers at night. Patch and Simba were given small sleeping bags, their toothbrushes, and tubes of toothpaste. The boys took their supplies and their parents words sincerely, and then they were out the door.

Simba strolled down the sidewalk wearing his uniform and backpack. He felt great pride as he walked along to Patch's house. Patch soon met up with Simba and they stopped for a moment.

"You got your shades, Patch?" Simba asked his puppy partner.

"I'd never pass down an opportunity to wear them," Patch replied with a sly grin.

Patch and Simba swiftly reached to the pockets on the sides of their backpacks and took out their own separate sunglasses. They placed them over their eyes and smiled. They figured that a fun way of appearing tough and official was by wearing sunglasses, just like Nick Wilde. The pup and cub, with the assumption of pure authority visible to everyone who would see them, placed their backpacks back on their backs and they continued on their way to school.

When the duo arrived at school, they immediately noticed that the same police vehicle from their previous visit to the Principal's Office last Friday. "I thought they wouldn't be here until tonight," said Patch.

"Maybe they're gonna make an announcement about what's going on," Simba said making a guess.

"That might be it," Patch said in agreement. "Let's go inside and find out."

Patch and Simba walked towards the doors of the front of the school. They were only a foot or two away when the doors were opened by Mrs. Cow. She laughed at the sight of two young boys in police outfits wearing sunglasses. "I see you boys are ready for your first day," Mrs. Cow remarked.

"We're just trying to look professional," Simba replied with a grin.

"And I see that you've come prepared for the night ahead of you," Mrs. Cow said noticing how large the boys' backpacks were.

"Indeed we are," Patch replied with a smile identical to Simba's.

Mrs. Cow motioned for Patch and Simba to follow her. "Come with me to your quarters," she told them.

"Our quarters?" Patch and Simba inquired at the same time.

"It's the teachers' lounge," said Mrs. Cow. "I think you boys will like it."

Patch and Simba glanced at each other, seeing the excitement in their partner's face. The teachers' lounge was a place in the school where all the teachers would go to relax for a while before returning to teach their students. It was a place most talked about by all of their friends because a lot of kids said it was the best place besides the cafeteria and the playground. No one knew for sure if that was true or not because it was the place in the entire school where no student was allowed to go.

Mrs. Cow guided Patch and Simba to the teachers' lounge. The boys noticed that it was the same path they would take to go to the cafeteria, so it wouldn't be too difficult for them to remember the way to their "quarters".

When they saw the doors to the school cafeteria ahead after rounding a bend, Mrs. Cow turned and walked in a new direction. Patch and Simba followed the principal, and they soon found themselves at the door with the sign labeled "TEACHERS LOUNGE". The anticipation within the pup and cub as they approached the door and Mrs. Cow opened it for them.

After stepping into the room, Patch and Simba gazed at everything the room had inside it. Neither of them could believe their own eyes; so much so that they had to remove their sunglasses to clearly see it all. While there were long tables and hard chairs present like in every normal classroom, the teachers lounge had two sofas, a kitchen area complete was a refrigerator, and two vending machines- one had snack foods and the other had bottled drinks. For Patch and Simba, the room there were in was like the inside of a small clubhouse, and, considering there was nothing like this for any of the students, it was very unfair that the teachers got special treatment while the students got the uncomfortable chairs with the matching desks.

Patch and Simba also noticed that they and Mrs. Cow weren't the only ones in the teachers' lounge. Sitting at one of the tables were Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. They were sipping coffee and eating doughnuts. Needless to say, when the two police officers saw Patch and Simba, they were amazed at their hall monitor uniforms.

"Wow; the school did a good job with your uniforms," Judy commented. "You two look like official police officers."

"Well, that's Patch was hoping for," Simba replied.

This wasn't met with an angry glare from Patch, but rather a nod and smile from Patch.

"Just for the sake of curiosity," said Nick; "did you boys bring a pair of sunglasses?"

Patch and Simba held up their sunglasses with pride. "We came prepared," they said.

Nick smiled and Judy chuckled.

"Well, why don't you boys put your stuff over by the sofa in the corner," Mrs. Cow said to Patch and Simba. "We're going to have an assembly in a few minutes."

Patch and Simba nodded and did as they were told.

The group then left the teachers' lounge and headed for the gymnasium. It was a short trip and Patch and Simba were thankful that they didn't have to struggle through the obnoxious crowd of students to get somewhere like always. Being hall monitors was definitely going to have its wonderful advantages.

Before they entered the gymnasium, Nick turned to Patch and Simba and said, "By the way, we left you two some doughnuts; so that should help you keep yourselves alert."

"Thanks," Simba replied; "we appreciate that."

"This day just keeps getting better and better; doesn't it?" Patch whispered to Simba.

"Oh, I hope it does," Simba whispered back.

The first thing Patch and Simba noticed was that the bleachers was pulled outwards and was ready to be filled with students. Whenever the bleachers weren't being used, it was folded into a wall that towered over the solid floor and the characters taking a lesson in physical education. In front of the bleachers were a couple dozen folding chairs for the teachers, and there were five folding chairs far away from them facing towards the bleachers; a microphone stood in the center of the space between the groups of chairs.

As the group walked to the five chairs, which were of course for them to sit, an announcement came over the loudspeaker. The feminine voice Patch and Simba recognized as the secretary in the Main Office said, "At this time, may all students please report to the gymnasium. All students, please report to the gymnasium. Thank you."

Patch and Simba noted that, because of the massive space of the gymnasium, the secretary's voice sounded like it carried an echo. Such an effect was pretty cool in their opinion.

Within a minute, two waves of students came pouring in through the doors and into the gymnasium. Young characters climbed the steps of the bleachers and took whatever seat they wanted- especially if it was one where they were close to their friends and could talk. There were lots of students chatting with their friends. The noise it made wasn't really loud; it was much tolerable than the uproar of an audience who just watched a famous singer poorly lip-sync one of their popular songs.

Patch and Simba watched as the bleachers continued to be filled to capacity. Patch saw his brothers, Lucky and Rolly, and his sister Penny sitting together. The three Dalmatian pups saw their brother and Simba and they pointed out their uniforms. In fact, many of the students caught sight of their hall monitor uniforms and talked about it with their friends. Neither Patch or Simba could hear what they were saying, but they were sure that they were saying good things about them.

Simba took another glance at the crowd in the bleachers and immediately spotted Nala with some of her friends. He gazed into her teal eyes as she waved to him. He continued to do so as he waved back to her. Patch noticed that his partner was in a trance and he cleared his throat, snapping the lion cub out of it.

When Simba made eye contact with Patch, the pup told him: "I knew you like her so much, but try to look more professional."

Simba nodded as Mrs. Cow walked up to the microphone and tapped the windscreen to get the students to quiet down so she could speak. It took perhaps five seconds for complete silence, but, when it did, the principal began.

"Good morning, everyone," Mrs. Cow said. "I'd like to thank you all for coming at such a time as this. What I have to say is very important and I want everyone to listen carefully. It might be scary for some of you, but I want to assure you all that everything is under control for the time being."

The students in the bleachers sat up straight and awaited for their principal to tell them what was so important that required an assembly in the morning.

"For the past month and a half, our school cafeteria has been robbed multiple times," Mrs. Cow explained. "Right now we do not have any footage or other clues to find out who the character responsible is. All we know is that the thief, or thieves if there are more than one, are stealing snack foods such as cookies and chips."

The students glanced at one another in both confusion and slight concern. Of course the issue was stupid as they heard it, but they began to worry if it was going to bring a snack shortage if the robberies continued.

Mrs. Cow sensed the crowd's fear and said, "As I said, there is absolutely no cause for alarm. Even though there have been rumors that a student is responsible for this, I would like to inform you all that there is not enough evidence to prove such a claim. It's an absurd theory, but the police are taking this situation very seriously.

"I would now like to turn the mic over to police officer Judy Hopps, who will tell you more about this unthinkable occurrence at our school and what will be done to resolve this."

Judy got out of her chair and strolled to the microphone and Mrs. Cow adjusted the stand so she could speak into it with ease. The entire mass of students in the bleachers remained silent as the rabbit spoke all that they needed to know, or at least what was known at the moment. Because of how all noise was hushed, it was evident that everyone was taking the issue very seriously.

At one point, Judy said, "Even though the idea that the suspect or suspects are children are not a certainty, this school has decided to input a student hall monitor unit which will be enacted by fellow students Patch Spotly and Simba Roarren; both of which agreed to take part in our plan to catch the suspects."

When she said this, Judy gestured at Patch and Simba behind her. Several students clapped and there were a few cheers from the bleachers. Patch and Simba replied with a bright smile and a solute to all the students, telling them that they were in safe hands.

Judy spoke a bit more before Mrs. Cow took the microphone and told everyone: "Before we send you back to your classes, I would like to say one finally thing. It might sound like it's going to happen but, if we are successful in catching the characters responsible, it won't happen at all. Because of our slight snack shortage, our school has been paying for more food ingredients and it's having a small impact on our budget. If this worsens, we will be forced to cancel the end of the school year pizza party."

A wave of horror rushed upon the students in the bleachers- they didn't freak out entirely, but they gasped and their eyes widened and their jaws fell open. As Mrs. Cow reassured everyone that there was a high chance that there would still be a pizza party, Patch noticed that Rolly was breathing loudly and Lucky was trying to calm him down. He could vaguely hear what Lucky was telling Rolly as the principal spoke, but, based on his lip movement, Patch made out what his brother was saying. "Take deep breaths, Rolly. You can do. Breathe in; breathe out."

As Mrs. Cow concluded the assembly with her final statement, Patch and Simba glanced at the students seated in the bleachers. It was true that they didn't want to spoil their reputation as respectable hall monitors, but they couldn't help but ask themselves if the cafeteria robbers were someone in the school they knew. Patch didn't find anyone who could be a possible suspect. He wasn't sure if Simba did; when Patch turned to Simba, he saw that he was staring at Nala again.

Eventually, Mrs. Cow dismissed everyone and two streams of students cascaded down the bleachers and all the young characters poured out into the school hallways. Patch and Simba stayed back with Judy and Nick and they watched the crowd dissipated second by second.

As soon as all the students were gone, Mrs. Cow left. Judy and Nick rose to leave. "Good luck to you both today," Nick said to Patch and Simba.

"Thanks a bunch," Simba replied. "We'll see you both after school."

"See you then," said Judy, and she and Nick departed for their cruiser outside.

Patch and Simba walked out of the gymnasium and headed for the teachers' lounge. They were going to eat a doughnut before they began their first day as hall monitors.

"Hopefully they left us doughnuts with really good flavors," Patch told his partner.

"Yeah, I hope there's a double chocolate or a powdered doughnut with strawberry filling," Simba said licking his lips.

"Well we're gonna find out soon," said Patch; "and, straight afterwards, we're going straight on patrol!"


	4. On Patrol

The bell that concluded second period rang and young characters spilt into the hallways. The majority of children were on their way to their third period class. Those who weren't walking to class were either going to the bathroom, taking a drink at a nearby water fountain, or simply chatting with friends. Everyone was aware that they would get in trouble if they were caught in the hallway during their class, so everyone made sure that they were in class by the time the bell sounded for third period.

As everyone hurried to their appropriate classroom, Patch and Simba walked through the hallways beaming with pride. They did not march like soldiers but sauntered like the young characters around them. The duo did this for two reasons: they wanted everyone in the school to feel comfortable while they were on duty, and they believed that they would become stuck up if they acted like stringent soldiers. Both reasons were logical and everyone, kids and adults alike, would agree with them. If anything, no one wanted two sweet, lovable boys to suddenly become strict, snobbish, and, altogether, extremely unlikable. Something like that would cause major problems and the eventual cancellation of the end of the year pizza party.

Patch and Simba strolled through the hallways at a leisurely pace, all the while making sure that their fellow schoolmates were on their way to class before the next bell rang. They said a few words to others as they passed by but they didn't precisely stop to talk. The boys had a job to do, and monitoring the halls of the school was only half of it.

"I can't believe Officers Hopps and Wilde knew exactly what flavored doughnuts we like," Patch said as he looked at Simba. "Nothing starts a day better than the taste of vanilla, eh, Simba?"

"That double chocolate doughnut was amazing," Simba responded as he licked his lips, hoping the flavor of chocolate frosting was still there.

Seeing that his partner looked like he was enchanted by the doughnut he ate, Patch said, "I guess you feel like you're floating above the world; right?"

"I guess so," Simba replied.

"Just as you do when you see or think about Nala?" Patch asked jokingly.

Simba's limbs immediately stiffened, his eyes bulged, and his ears dropped. The reaction of the now embarrassed lion cub made the Dalmatian pup laugh loudly.

Simba became mad just as fast as he had become embarrassed. "It's not funny, Patch!" he growled.

"I know," Patch said with a chuckle; "but we need to focus, Simba."

"Right," Simba said nodding. "Our actions will determine the fate of the pizza party. The whole school is counting on us! We mustn't let everyone down!"

"Especially Nala," Patch snickered.

Simba felt another wave of anger hit him. But before he could roar at Patch, the bell rang. Patch and Simba were both startled since it came unexpectedly. Because of the small shock, the anger that hit Simba vanished and he was now relaxed.

Patch saw the change of emotions in his friend and said, "Sorry for what I said. I just think it's rather odd that you don't say anything special to her; especially how you feel about her."

"To be completely honest," Simba told Patch; "I really like Nala. In fact, you're kinda right; sometimes I think that I love her."

"I think 'really like' is the definition of 'love'," said Patch.

Simba rolled his eyes and began walking again. "Whatever," the cub said as he passed Patch. "Let's continue our patrol."

At first, Patch said nothing as he followed Simba through the empty corridors. As soon as he was alongside the lion cub, the pup spoke. "If you ever want to tell Nala how much you love her," he said; "just do it. Be brave, be kind, and don't back out no matter what."

"Thanks for the advice," Simba chuckled. "I'll write it down before I forget."

The boys shared a laugh and they continued their patrol of the school hallways.

Throughout third and fourth period, nothing extraordinary occurred. Everything in the school ran like clockwork, without fault or trouble to mess things up. Patch and Simba weren't disappointed by this; if anything, they wanted to make sure that the ritual of students getting to one classroom to another was maintained at all cost.

At certain moments when classes were in session, a fellow young character would pass by Patch and Simba and they would should them their hall pass. Patch and Simba would then nod in approvement, allowing said character to proceed to wherever they were walking to. This happened only six times during the duration of two class sessions- eighty minutes to be precise.

While walking down a hallways which included a staircase to the second level of the school, Simba asked Patch: "Did you hear about that new movie Bolt's gonna be in?"

"You mean that cartoon movie about a parrot who travels across Europe?" Patch in turn asked.

"Yeah, that one," Simba responded. "What do you think about it? I think I want to see it."

"So do I," said Patch. "Bolt is a great actor, but sometimes I think that Jose Carioca would do a movie like that."

"I think the same thing too," Simba chuckled.

Patch laughed along with Simba, and then he asked a question of his own. "Have you've thought about possible suspects walking among us?"

"Well I know that there's a chance that someone in this school might be the thief," Simba replied; "but I wouldn't say that I've thought of anyone who would most likely do a serious crime like stealing from the cafeteria."

"Yes, it's very strange," said Patch; "but Mrs. Cow gave us the job of being hall monitors. We're a part of the plan to catch whoever's responsible if the thieves go to this school, and we must remember the reason why we've been allowed to do this and do all the good we can."

"I'm willing to do all I can to help the police," Simba said confidently.

"Same here," Patch said with the same amount of confidence in his partner's voice.

As they entered another hallway, Patch gazed up at a nearby clock. It was 11:09 AM. Fourth period was about to end. Patch and Simba also knew that the first lunch period was coming up; that meant there was going to be a herd of young characters moving towards the cafeteria. As such, they had to be ready to handle rough traffic and possible trouble with other students.

With one last glance at the clock, seeing the red second hand slowly count down the seconds until the minute hand would land on the '2', Patch turned to Simba and said, "Get ready, buddy. The mayhem begins in three...two...one."

The bell rang and characters poured out into the hallway. Patch and Simba continued their walk as familiar faces passed by. One particular character made the boys stop dead in their tracks.

"What happened to Stitch?" Simba asked Patch as he gestured toward a blue koala-like creature whose left arm was covered in bandages.

"You don't remember what happened to him during the food fight?" Patch inquired in surprise. "Someone threw mashed potatoes on his arm as he was being pelted with chicken nuggets."

"That's terrible!" said Simba.

"I know," Patch replied; "and I really feel bad for him. I mean, true, he can be harsh during recess but that doesn't mean someone should hurt him in such a barbaric way."

Simba nodded and he and Patch walked over to Stitch.

"Hey, Stitch," Patch said to grab Stitch's attention. "You feeling any better?"

"Yes," Stitch responded with a big smile.

"That's nice to hear," said Simba. "I'm sorry about what happened to you. I'm sure that if Patch and I were close by, we would've made sure that you didn't get burned; right, Patch?"

Patch nodded. "Definitely," he said.

A few words were exchanged between the three boys before Stitch left to join the crowd of characters herding towards the playground at the back of the school. Losing recess was the only thing Patch and Simba considered as a drawback. They were okay with getting a bit more homework so they could catch up with the rest of their classmates, and they were more than happy to help in the school's time of need, but it still disappointed the pup and cub to know that they couldn't go and play with their friends for forty minutes.

Not more than three seconds after Stitch left them, Simba said, "I know it's wrong for me to say this but, I often think that Stitch might be a reasonable suspect."

"It is wrong to accuse someone at random," Patch responded. "I will admit though, I've thought about Stitch having something to do with the burglaries. The only reason I think so is because he's ranked number four on the "Top 5 Kids Who Got the Most Detentions" list."

"That's the same reason I believe he's a suspect," said Simba. He then inquired, "Are Huey, Dewey, and Louie still at the top?"

"From least to greatest, it's Dewey, then Huey, and Louie," Patch told the cub.

"I'm thankful that they don't try to compete against each other," Simba said.

"That would be disastrous," Patch commented.

As they rounded a corner, Simba asked, "By the way, who's at number five?"

Patch was about to answer when, from far down the hallway, someone screamed, "Help! Somebody, help!"

Patch and Simba saw a crowd gathering around someone. The pup and cub did not hesitate in dashing toward the crowd.

As Patch and Simba pushed their way through the crowd, they heard one character scream, "Stop it! Get off of me!", which was followed by the roar of another character roar: "You better take back what you said about me!"

When they eventually made it through everyone in the crowd, Patch and Simba saw a light gray puppy viciously wrestling a fawn who was in great distress. "Scamp!" Patch snarled.

Taking immediate action, Patch and Simba rushed up to the fighting kids and pried the enraged pup off of the struggling fawn. When Patch was failing to do anything to stop Scamp, Simba took his place and successfully pushed the mad puppy off of the young deer.

"Alright, Scamp, that's enough!" Simba yelled as he pinned Scamp down.

"No it isn't!" Scamp growled as he struggled to break free of Simba's hold on him. "That deer's gonna pay!"

Scamp then tried to bite Simba. Luckily, one of the teachers, a tall wolf dressed in gray and black, made his way through the crowd of kids. "What's going on here?!" he demanded.

"Scamp attacked me!" the fawn cried.

"Yeah, right after you called me a yellow-bellied mutt!" Scamp snapped.

"I DID NOT!"

"DID TOO!"

"ENOUGH ALREADY!" Patch hollered. "This is the third time this happened, Scamp!"

"So what?!" Scamp growled.

"So you have to own up for your terrible behavior!" the wolf stated as he took Scamp by the arm. "Come with me this instant! I'm sure the principal would love to know this!"

And with that, Scamp was dragged all the way to the Main Office.

Simba joined Patch in making sure that fawn was okay. "Are you alright, Bambi?" Simba inquired.

Bambi nodded. "I'm fine, but I am a little shaken up," he responded.

"Okay," said Patch. "Just remember, if Scamp or anyone else tries to fight you, you know what to do; right?"

"Uh huh," Bambi replied.

"Good; you can go now," Patch told Bambi, and the fawn hurried to class.

The bell rang shortly after and everyone who was still in the hallways and immediately began sprinting to their next class. Patch and Simba watched as characters ran to their fifth period class. Within seconds, the hallways were completely empty with the exception of the two hall monitors.

Simba inhaled through his nose and then exhaled through his mouth. "It's quiet now," he said. "Quiet's good."

"It is," Patch replied; "until something else happens."

"Let's not think about that," Simba said cooly. "If we should think about anything, we should think about the safety of our friends and school, and of course, finding and stopping the thieves who are threatening the pizza party by their mediocre game."

"A mediocre game?" Patch inquired.

"Well, think about it," Simba said: "who in their right mind would rob the kitchen of a school cafeteria? No one's ever heard of or done that crime before. Unless, of course, it's someone in this school who's doing it, like a student who wants to be hardcore or a teacher getting revenge."

"If it is a teacher," Patch questioned; "why would they want revenge?"

"Most likely they got fired for something wrong they did," Simba responded.

"In all honesty, I think that someone we know is behind the thief."

"Me too. However there are still many things we need to figure out: like who would do such a thing as this and how they are able to pull everything off, most importantly how their disrupted the security system."

"Besides the information given to us, we really have nothing to list any possible suspects."

Simba eyed Patch with one eyebrow raised. "Nothing?" he asked.

Patch pondered briefly before saying: "Oh, I almost forgot! We have five kids who are known to be common rule-breakers: Stitch, Scamp, and Huey, Dewey, and Louie. The question is, who out of all five would commit such a serious crime?"

"It is a very good question," Simba said; "and we must be smart to solve this mystery. We do have the police to help us, but it's still going to take time."

"And time is slowly running out," Patch added.

"Well, not necessarily," Simba replied. "We've only got little over a month before the final day of school and the scheduled pizza party. Even so, you're right, we're losing time by the hour. We and the police have to work as hard as we can to catch the robbers before it's too late."

Patch nodded to his partner and they continued to do their job in patrolling the school hallways, keeping an eye out for anyone who was out of class and up to no good. He and Simba knew that as exciting as the job was, they both had to keep themselves under control. They needed to be awake as long as they could that night, just in case the thief or thieves came back to rob the school another time.


	5. The First Night Watch

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I had misspelled "Animaheim" in my other Disney fanfics, but given the way the city's name is pronounced (which was based on Anaheim, California), it's quite reasonable why some people might get mixed up. Also, the two jokes I put in this chapter were from a couple videos I watched on YouTube, just so you know.

Five minutes after the last bell rang at 3 o'clock, students and teachers alike were out of the building and on their way home. Anyone would say that Patch and Simba were the only characters remaining in the school, but that wasn't true. The janitors, Mrs. Cow, another teacher who was unknown to Patch and Simba, and the unlucky kids who got themselves a one-way ticket to detention were still inside. The pup and cub were certain that Scamp was among those delinquents; they didn't check but, to them, it was a certainty.

Earlier, a few of Patch and Simba's teachers had dropped by the teachers' lounge and gave the boys their homework, including a couple books and notes to catch up on the lessons they've missed. Neither the pup or cub minded the work given to them- they expected it. The two entitlements of hall monitors and assistant security guards were more than special jobs that would only happen in a children's story, they were crucial assignments that would decide if the end of the school year pizza party was to go on or if it would have to be cancelled to save money.

Patch and Simba spent the next hour working on their assignments. Once finished, Simba took out a piece of paper and he and Patch wrote the names of all the kids they knew. With three colored pencils, they placed a different colored star in front of each name, representing their place in the pup and cub's belief of possible suspects. Those who were least likely to commit a crime were marked with a blue star. Those who teetered on the line between good and mischievous were marked with a yellow star. The names of the five kids who were known for their detention records were marked with a red star.

Just the sight of the list made Patch and Simba feel particularly uneasy. While they managed to get a start on searching for possible suspects, it still felt wrong to accuse any of their friends of stealing snack food. The pup and cub had a job to do however, and they vowed to stop at nothing until the thieves were caught and the pizza party would still be scheduled for the last day of school.

At 4:03 PM, Perdita and Sarabi came into the teachers' lounge, much to Patch and Simba's surprise. The Dalmatian and lioness had brought their sons something to eat since they wouldn't be home for dinner. They were both given a plastic container full of warm pasta, a plastic fork, a napkin, and a juice box, one grape and one strawberry kiwi.

Perdita and Sarabi stayed for a few minutes to talk with Patch and Simba about their first night with the police. The duo promised their mothers that they would behave and cooperate with the officers in case something hazardous and unpredictable occurs. Perdita and Sarabi smiled and were about to leave when Judy and Nick entered. The two cops introduced themselves and explained to the Dalmatian and lioness what was going to happen once night fell upon Animaheim. Pleased to hear that everything would be under control and their sons would be in good hands, the two mothers departed.

Judy turned to Patch and Simba and said: "You both have very nice mothers."

"They're the greatest," Simba replied.

"They love us for all the good stuff we do just as we do for the good stuff they do," Patch added. "The bond is simple as that."

"That's very good," said Nick. "Now, are you both excited to take part in the first night watch?"

"We're exhilarated!" Patch and Simba replied in unison.

"Excellent," said Judy; "but, remember boys, we have to be patient and quiet at all times. If the robbers do show up, we must be ready to take them down as efficiently and wisely as possible to avoid injury and damage to the school. Am I clear?"

Patch and Simba nodded and once again responded at the same time: "Yes, ma'am."

"Quite a coincidence that you tell us that since that was what our moms were talking to us moments ago," Patch remarked.

"That is a coincidence," Nick said as he noticed Patch and Simba's list.

The fox picked up the sheet of paper and studied it. Afterwards he asked the pup and cub: "What's this list for?"

"Oh that," said Simba. "Patch and I were trying to think about anyone we know who might be the thief, but so far, pretty much everyone on that list is innocent."

"I see that, and how about the five names that have a red star?" Nick inquired.

"Those are the 'Top 5 Kids Who Have the Most Detentions'," Patch stated. "Believe me, it's a real list! Everyone in this school knows all about it, and we thought that it might help us in the investigation."

"And do you think it will?" Judy questioned.

"We don't know," Simba replied. "We feel bad to name some of our friends as suspects."

Judy walked over to the lion cub and said, "I know that feeling and so does Officer Wilde. We don't like to bring in certain people like family members in for questioning whenever a terrible crime happens like a burglary. It often helps us though; the information we get can name possible suspects."

"Does it still feel wrong?" Patch inquired.

"Well, it depends on how serious the crime is," Nick responded; "and if it's a loved one we have to arrest, like a mother or father."

"That's true," said Simba.

Patch then asked Judy: "Have you and Officer Wilde ever had to arrest someone's mom or dad?"

Judy and Nick glanced at each other before Nick answered Patch's question. "Well, it has happened in the past," he said. "It's just that we never had to do it, and I'm thankful for that."

"So am I," Judy added.

The four characters were silent for five seconds at the most before one of them spoke again.

"I see you got something to eat," Nick said when he spotted Patch and Simba's dinners. "Is that why your mothers were here?"

"Yep," Simba replied, nodding his head.

"That's good," said Nick. "You can't be on night watch on an empty stomach, you know."

"Right," Patch and Simba said, unamused by Nick's childish statement.

Judy sighed and then asked Nick: "Aside from what we've brought for dinner, did you bring everything we need for tonight?"

"Yes I did," Nick responded as he gestured towards the black briefcase he brought in. "In this briefcase are flashlights, batteries, extra handcuffs, walkie-talkies, a first aid kit, and a deck of cards."

"Why a deck of cards?" Judy inquired.

"Just in case we get bored," Nick told his partner. "We can play 'Go Fish' or 'Solitaire'."

"Good thinking!" Patch remarked. "You never know when that'll come in handy."

"Considering what my occupation was before joining the force," Nick replied, "I know when cards come in handy."

This prompted Patch and Simba to inquiry Nick about his former occupation. The fox told the boys that after his family suffered a severe financial crisis in the wake of his father's death, he tried his best to support himself when his mother couldn't. Since he was unable to find a job that paid good money, Nick found himself learning the ropes of being a con artist. Despite the fact that he would quickly get a bad reputation for what he did, the fox continued to hustle characters for their money until he was hoodwinked by an undercover police officer- Judy Hopps by name.

"There were numerous complaints about a swindling fox in the city," Judy explained to Patch and Simba; "so I was given the assignment to catch him in the act and place him in custody."

"And did you?" Simba inquired.

"Not exactly," Judy replied as she glanced at Nick with a cheeky grin. "I brought him in, sat him down, and we talked. After hearing his story, the police chief and I told Officer Wilde that he can exchange his time in jail for community service."

"So why exactly did you become a police officer?" Patch asked Nick.

Nick appeared to be a little timid and didn't give the pup an answer.

Judy spoke for the fox, much to his dismay. "We often chatted while he was busy removing litter from the park. Mostly, we talked about his past and how I could help him find a well-paying job."

"And that's when you introduced him to police work?" Simba asked.

"That didn't come until later," said Judy. "The first suggestions were based on his interests and what he was most good at aside from swindling characters for money."

"Did that go well?" Patch asked.

"Well, there wasn't that much success," Judy stated. "Then came the day we got a call about a bank robbery and Officer Wilde did one heck of a job identifying the culprit and his criminal history."

"And, after that, I decided to join the police force," Nick said. "It took me an extra two years in the academy but I managed to succeed."

"Good for you," said Simba.

"Hopefully Simba and I will have the same luck when we pursue our dreams," said Patch.

The conversation continued until 5 o'clock when they ate dinner. As expected, the four characters resumed talking afterwards which was great as they had to wait for sunset to start the night watch, and that was a good hour away. When it became apparent that Patch and Simba were getting bored, Nick brought out the deck of cards and they all played a couple games of "Go Fish".

At 6:12, Nick slid a rubber band over the deck of cards and placed it on the table next to the briefcase. He then unlocked and opened the briefcase. Once the flashlights and the walkie-talkies were laid out, Judy turned to Patch and Simba and gave them their assignment.

"You boys are to patrol the left side of the school," she told the pup and cub. "You'll be given a flashlight and a walkie-talkie. If you see anything suspicious, preferably an unknown character, radio me at once. I want you both to stick together at all times, and, most importantly, no fooling around; am I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Patch and Simba replied with a salute.

Judy chuckled as she gave the duo a flashlight and a walkie-talkie. Nick took a second flashlight and walkie-talkie, and gave the last flashlight and remaining two transceivers to his partner- as a police lieutenant, she would have connection with all three guards. Judy assigned Nick to patrol the right side of the building and the guards left the teachers' lounge, officially beginning the night watch.

Patch and Simba strolled through the hallways on their side of the school, with Simba holding the flashlight and Patch holding the walkie-talkie. They had always wondered what it was like to explore a building in the dead of night. It was eerie but equally exciting. It reminded them of mystery cartoons from the 1970s, which were aired on a specific channel on Saturday mornings. When the duo walked around a corner, Simba scanned the empty hallway with the flashlight and, as they proceeded down the hall, he and Patch kept their eyes peeled for any signs of life and suspicious activity.

During their patrol, their walkie-talkie buzzed. "Officer Hopps calling Patch and Simba," came Judy's voice. "Officer Hopps calling Patch and Simba, come in please."

"This is Patch and Simba," Patch replied. "Go ahead."

"Status report, boys," Judy requested.

"Nothing yet," Patch reported.

"We're near the library," Simba added.

The lion cub didn't had to mention that. Judy could see exactly where they were from one of the monitors in the security room. "I see that," she replied. "You've been doing a great job for the past few minutes. Keep it up and remember to report anything you see."

"Roger that," Patch and Simba said in unison.

Patch placed the walkie-talkie back on his vest's chest pocket and he and Simba continued walking through the dark halls.

Judy then radioed Nick on the other walkie-talkie. "Nick, have you found anything?" she asked.

"Well, aside from pencil graffiti," Nick responded; "I've found nothing."

"Kids these days," Judy sighed, shaking her head. "A lot of them don't have any respect for school property."

"Hey, Carrots, listen to this," said Nick. "What does Snow White say when her pictures are developing?"

"What?" Judy asked, showing no interest in children's jokes.

"Someday my _prints_ will come!" Nick answered before laughing.

"Nick, we don't have time to tell jokes," Judy stated. "We have a job to do and I don't want all the students to be unhappy; do you?"

"Listen to this one," Nick snickered. "Why was Tigger in the toilet?"

Judy switched the walkie-talkie off. A harmless joke was just enough. A crude bathroom joke would've intensely angered her, and she didn't want to work with a bad attitude. She returned her gaze to the monitors where she got a good view of Nick, using his flashlight to read the graffiti students had drawn on the walls.

While the fox was slacking off, Patch and Simba found themselves at the entrance to the gymnasium. They were at the very end of the left side of the school. Apart from ordinary classrooms and bathrooms, the gym and the library were the only sites of amusement on the school's left side. The right side of the school was the same thing; the only differences being that it was where the cafeteria and computer lab were located. Both the left and right side shared one thing in common: they led to the playground and athletic field outside.

Patch and Simba wanted to go in the gym but resisted. They had to keep patrolling their section of the school no matter what.

"Should we go to the second floor and patrol there?" Simba asked his partner.

"I'm not sure if Officer Hopps would like that either," Patch replied. He gestured towards the overhead security camera in the corner and added, "She's got her eyes on us. If we do something wrong, she'll know it."

"So, we should turn around and do the whole thing again?" Simba questioned.

"I guess so," Patch said as he began walking the way they came.

Simba joined the pup and together they headed back to the teachers' lounge.

During the trip, they received another call from Judy. "Patch, Simba, are you there?"

Patch removed the walkie-talkie from his vest's chest pocket and responded with: "We're here. Go ahead."

"I want you boys to report to Officer Wilde," Judy ordered.

"What's the problem?" Simba inquired.

The pup and cub heard a sigh coming from the receiver before Judy said, "Just go to him. He's somewhere between the computer lab and the cafeteria."

"Okay, we'll report to him at once," Patch stated. "Patch and Simba out."

"Why does Officer Wilde want to see us?" Simba asked as Patch placed the walkie-talkie back on his vest's chest pocket.

"Maybe he found something or he wants to talk to us," Patch replied. "I'm not so sure, but we'll find out when we get there."

Patch and Simba changed directions and made their way to Nick's location. It was a fairly easy route to travel through; all they had to do was walk down the main hallway, make a couple turns, and continue to walk straight. Upon finding the computer lab, Simba shined the flashlight down the hall so he and Patch could find Nick. There was no sign of the fox.

Greatly confused, Patch radioed Judy. "Officer Hopps, this is Patch and Simba," he said. "We're outside the computer lab but Officer Wilde isn't anywhere in sight."

"He's not in the hallway?" Judy asked.

"No," Patch replied.

"Maybe he went to the bathroom," Simba suggested.

"Can you check?" Judy inquired.

"Okay," said Patch. "By the way, why do you want us to meet up with Officer Wilde?"

There was another period of silence before Judy gave the boys a response. "I simply want you two to see what he's up to. I've tried to call him on his walkie-talkie but he's not answering."

"Don't worry, we'll find him," Simba told Judy. "There's a bathroom close to the cafeteria so we'll go check it out. Patch and Simba out."

"If Officer Wilde turned off his walkie-talkie and went to the bathroom," Patch surmised; "he must likely needed a little privacy."

"Probably," Simba concurred. "There's not one character I know who's brave enough to pee without privacy. How about you?"

"The only character I know who can is my younger brother Whizzer. No matter where he is, he'll pee without relent! Of course, he wouldn't do it in a store or a restaurant for all the right reasons."

"I'd feel like an idiot if I was called Whizzer."

"Believe it or not, he doesn't mind at all. In fact, he prefers to be called Whizzer in place of his real name."

"And what is his real name?"

"Peter."

As Patch and Simba enjoyed a good laugh, they were suddenly blinded by a bright light. It turned out to be Nick's flashlight. "Patch? Simba? What are you doing here?" the fox asked.

"Officer Hopps wanted us to check on you," Simba replied as he and Patch rubbed their eyes.

"Yeah, she said you weren't answering your walkie-talkie," Patch explained.

"Really?" Nick inquired. "Because I'm sure Officer Hopps turned her walkie-talkie off. Besides, she doesn't need to send you guys out to find me; she's got the whole security system to use."

"That's true," said Simba. "But why would she turn her walkie-talkie off?"

Patch took the flashlight and shined it on the wall, revealing all the graffiti dozens of delinquents had left over the months. He then turned to Nick and asked, "Were you slacking off?"

"Boys, I was not slacking off," Nick responded calmly. "I was only taking a break by reading what was written on the wall."

"Sounds like you were slacking off to me," Patch and Simba said simultaneously.

Nick sighed, fully aware that the boys knew he was lying. "Alright, I was but for a short time," said the fox. "The only reason Officer Hopps turned off her walkie-talkie is because I was telling her a couple I got from the wall."

"Ah yes," said Patch; "the old 'Public Joke Invent-tory'."

"It's pronounced 'inventory'," Simba corrected.

"Not the way this idiot spelled it," Patch said pointing to the title, which had the letter "T" used twice.

With their flashlights, the trio surveyed the long list of jokes students wrote without getting caught by teachers. A lot were hilarious while some were classic, but a few poorly written and a couple were completely nonsensical; but given that the jokes were written by elementary school students, it was perfectly okay to let it slide. They were sure that Judy was watching them on one of the security cameras, yet they didn't care. Unless she called them on Patch and Simba's walkie-talkie, they weren't going to stop having a laugh or two.

Patch moved the flashlight a bit too far from the joke inventory and, for a quarter of a second, Simba noticed something on the wall. "Hey Patch, shine the light back over here," the lion cub said.

The Dalmatian pup did just that and Simba was able to read what had scribbled on the wall in pencil. The message said, " _Meat undor slid 4 sereus bizness_ ". Simba translated the message to " _Meet under slide for serious business_ ".

"Well, what do you know!" Nick exclaimed. "Looks like the ringleader left his gang some instructions, and he left us our first clue."

"Whoever's doing this sure is a halfwit!" Patch added. "He's leading us straight to him!"

Unlike Nick and Patch, Simba wasn't exactly as thrilled as they were. "Wait a minute, you guys," he said. "The gang most likely meets in the playground during recess or after school. How are we going to catch him?"

"I'm sure Officer Hopps and I can convince a couple cops to come down and keep an eye on the playground after school hours," Nick replied.

"And I'm sure we can ask some of our friends to patrol the playground during recess," Patch added. "Lucky and Penny will certainly help us. Who knows; maybe Nala might agree to help her fellow officer solve the case."

Simba's frown was accompanied by narrowed eyes. He didn't like how Patch was trying to get him to admit that he loved Nala deeply. Instead of making a crude retort, Simba radioed Judy to inform her of the discovery. During his call, Nick withdrew his phone and snapped a picture of the message. Patch held his flashlight up to give him a little light.

The three security guards then headed back to the teachers' lounge, taking each step with immense pride. They knew that all four of them had finally picked up the robbers' trail with the note on the wall, which had been brilliantly written among the hundreds of graffiti left by other kids, and that, with strong wisdom and good judgement, the names of the perpetrators would be uncovered, justice would give them the punishment they deserve, and every character who attended the school would rest easy knowing that they would celebrate the last day of school with some scrumptious pizza.


End file.
